Allie Keaton of Conroe always had a passion for helping others, as well as a talent for training dogs. So, after years of caring for her ailing mother, Allie decided to do both. She is now the founder of My Service Dog, Inc., a nonprofit organization that trains and provides service dogs for disabled residents who need the extra care.

The organization is currently being operated by ten individuals who harbor the same supportive personalities and has placed and trained about 25 service dogs around the greater Houston area. Because Allie understands the economic and emotional turmoil that each one of her clients has gone through, she often forgoes immediate payment and instead promotes more case sensitive recompense.

“We figure we’ve put about $20,000 of work and time into raising them, but we never get that back,” she said. “Most of the people who need these dogs can’t afford them, but we always find a way.”

She was able to find a way for Betty Swindle and her daughter Sherry Martin of Conroe. Betty is wheelchair-bound, and after her daughter’s miraculous recovery from a gunshot wound to the head, leaving her also bound to a wheelchair, Betty grew concerned that she was unable to take care of both herself and Sherry. But help was not far away. Betty contacted My Service Dogs, Inc. and Allie matched her and her daughter with Chance, a Labra-doodle that has already been trained to open doors, and bring the phone, TV remote and clothes on command. Allie says that Chance still has a lot of training to complete, but she has pledged to continue work despite Betty’s inability to pay, while always putting in time to help her clients raise money.

Allie Keaton understands the sacrifices people have recently had to make to maintain a decent cost of living, and she strives to alleviate any further monetary worries her clients face. She has made many of the same sacrifices to keep her business running, all to continue to help those in need of care and generosity.

My Service Dogs, Inc. frequently holds fundraisers for donations that many of their own volunteers provide. Private dog training classes are also available, and Keaton plans to develop a DVD dog-training series, all to help boost the business’ income and profits. One of her biggest goals is to find a permanent building for the organization, which currently operates out of about a dozen volunteer homes. But her main drive will always be to find ways she can help those in need.

“I wanted to do something with my life that made more of a difference,” she said. “This is my purpose, to help people, and I am going to find ways to do that.”

To learn more about Allie Keaton and her mission of care service, please visit www.myservicedog.com and make a donation today!

Source: Houston Chronicle